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<DIV>In the twelve months before his sudden death, Hans Urs von Balthasar had been writing a series of reflections on the twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed. These texts, which are undoubtedly among the last things he wrote, take on the character of a legacy, a spiritual testament. For they amount in their extraordinary compactness and depth to a little "summa" of his theology. What he had set out in detail in numerous books over five decades, he summarizes here in contemplative plainness and simplicity. All the characteristics that make von Balthasar's work so distinctive and valuable are to be found here: breadth of vision, loveliness of style, and an intuitive-contemporary passion that allows him to "pray intellectually and think 'cordially'." In his warm and extensive introduction to the book, Medard Kehl speaks of von Balthasar's "unclouded, almost childlike joy in the richness and beauty of the Mystery" of the threefold God, which "is evidenced in his interpretation of the creed." </DIV>

Credo: Meditations on the Apostles' Creed

<DIV>Pope Francis, in his foreword, states that one of the major themes in the thought of Joseph Ratzinger is the relationship between faith and politics: "His firsthand experience of Nazi totalitarianism led him even as a young student to reflect on the limits of obedience to the state for the sake of the liberty of obeying God."; In support of this, he quotes from one of Ratzinger's texts presented in this volume: "The state is not the whole of human existence and does not encompass all human hope."Ratzinger explored various aspects of this subject in books, speeches, and homilies throughout his career, from his years as a theology professor to his tenure as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and most recently as Pope Benedict XVI. This is the only book that collates all of his most significant works on political themes inside one volume.</DIV>

Faith and Politics

<DIV> "Para nosotros, Fátima es una señal de la presencia de la fe, del hecho que precisamente es de los pequeños que ésta adquiere nuevas fuerzas, tales que no solamente están sujetas a los pequeños sino que contiene un mensaje para el mundo entero y toca la historia aquí y ahora, y brinda luz a esta historia." - Papa Benedicto XVI A pesar que las apariciones de Nuestra Señora de Fátima tuvieron lugar hace casi cien años, el llamado de la Virgen a la oración y la penitencia por la salvación de las almas y la paz del mundo es tan relevante hoy como cuando fue revelado a los tres niños campesinos portugueses en 1917. En la cúspide de la Primera Guerra Mundial, Nuestra Señora advirtió sobre otro conflicto en todo el mundo, el auge y expansión del Comunismo, y una terrible persecución a la Iglesia a menos que la gente se arrepintiera de sus pecados y volvieran a Dios. Además pidió devoción a su Inmaculado Corazón y una especial consagración de Rusia. Gran parte de lo que dijo Nuestra Señora de Fátima fue revelado poco después de sus apariciones, pero el tercer y último "secreto", que no era un mensaje sino una visión profética que tuvieron los niños, no se dio a conocer por el Vaticano hasta el año 2000. El Papa Juan Pablo II, quien leyó el tercer secreto mientras se recuperaba del atentado contra su vida en 1981, cree que la visión significaba los sufrimientos que la Iglesia había sufrido en el Siglo XX. Debido a la naturaleza profética de sus mensajes, Nuestra Señora de Fátima ha sido objeto de mucha controversia y especulación. En este libro, el Padre Andrew Apostoli analiza cuidadosamente los acontecimientos que ocurrieron en Fátima y aclara interrogantes e incertidumbres sobre su significado. Además desafía al lector a escuchar de nuevo la llamada de la Virgen a la oración y el sacrificio, pues el mundo necesita corazones generosos dispuestos a reparar por aquellos que están en peligro de perder su camino hacia Dios. Padre Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R., miembro fundador de Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (Frailes Francisanos de la Renovación), ha estado enseñando y predicando retiros y misiones parroquiales durante algunas décadas. Es considerado uno de los principales expertos sobre las apariciones de Fátima a nivel mundial. El Padre Apóstoli es autor de numerosos libros, entre ellos Following Mary to Jesus (Siguiendo a María hacia Jesús) y Walk Humbly With Your God (Camina Humildemente con tu Dios). El Padre Apostoli es el vice-postulador de la causa de canonización del Arzobispo Fulton Sheen. Un invitado frecuente en EWTN televisión, fue el anfitrión del especial de televisión "Our Lady of Fatima and the First Saturday Devotion" (Nuestra Señora de Fátima y la devoción del Primer Sábado). </DIV>

Fatima para hoy

<DIV>Renowned scholar Dr. Tim Gray masterfully guides you through the tumultuous and inspiring life of Peter--from his call to discipleship to his eventual martyrdom in Rome. Using Sacred Scripture and tradition, Dr. Gray highlights these important lessons from Peter's life, including:<ul><li>How to become a trusting disciple and "cast into the deep"</li><li>The pitfalls of living discipleship at a distance and the eventual denial that will come</li><li>How to recover from sin and accept God's mercy</li><li>How to become a bold witness to others of the love of Jesus</li></ul>Come to better know, love, and follow Jesus through the Rock on whom he built his Church.</DIV>

Peter: Keys to Following Jesus

<DIV> Drawing on the whole body of C.S. Lewis' published fiction and non-fiction, as well as previously unpublished letters, Richard Purtill offers a clear, comprehensive assessment of Lewis’ defense of Christianity. He examines Lewis’ thinking on religion in light of contemporary thought, giving attention to such central issues as: the nature of God, the divinity of Christ, the manifestation of miracles in history, the challenge of faith, the meaning of death and the afterlife. C.S. Lewis’ Case for the Christian Faith is an excellent introduction to Lewis's best thinking on the major themes of the Christian tradition. Those who know his writing will find a new appreciation of his “Christian imagination” and a deep respect for his distinctive contribution to an understanding of Christianity. </DIV>

C.S. Lewis' Case for the Christian Faith

<DIV>The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom is a Catholic library in miniature, a one-volume microcosm of what the Church's great minds have thought and said since the apostolic age. Indeed, in The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom, noted theologian Fr. John A. Hardon has compiled the works of thirty-three of the greatest Catholic thinkers and writers, representing every period of the Church's passage through time, from the beginnings of Christianity to the present day. Here are men and women, bishops and priests, religious and the laity "whose native talents were elevated by the supernatural light that God reserves for those who are most submissive to His will." Included in this extraordinary and fascinating anthology are the works of the early saints, such as Gregory, Basil, Augustine, John Chrysostom, Patrick, Bernard Francis, and Thomas Aquinas. Here, too, are the writings of the great reformers Ignatius, Catherine of Siena, and Teresa of Avila; the mystic John of the Cross; the practical wisdom of Francis de Sales, Louis de Montfort, and Peter Julian Eymard; and the modern-day reflections of Gerard Manley Hopkins, Francis Thompson, Therese of Lisieux, G.K. Chesterton, and Fulton J. Sheen. The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom is a comprehensive anthology of the outstanding Catholic literature from the first century to modern times. Mystics and martyrs, philosophers and theologians, poets and prose writers are quoted at length and in depth. They are truly representative of the spirit and substance of Catholicism in its paradox of phenomenal stability and versatility over the centuries. Fr. Hardon has selected those writings which are representative of the thought and philosophy of each contributor, and has carefully chosen excerpts which are not always the most familiar. Thus, his volume provides not only a fresh collection of the best of Catholic wisdom, but also a uniquely comprehensive work which offers enlightenment and faith for generations of readers. John A. Hardon, S.J., holds a master's degree in philosophy from Loyola University and a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. He is the author of The Catholic Catechism and many other books. Fr. Hardon is also a founder of the Catholic Home Study Institute, a correspondence school which operates under pontifical approval. </DIV>

The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom

Opening credits

1. Ten Reasons to Read This Book

2. A Radically Life-Changing Idea

3. Why This Idea Is Not As Ridiculous As It Seems

4. An Irrefutable Logical Proof of Its Truth

5. How This Truth Changes Your Life

6. God as Your Guru

7. How Divine Providence Does What Seems Impossible

8. Faith and Reason꞉ Can We Believe It if We Don’t Understand It?

9. Why Surrender Does Not Squash Individuality

10. Where to Find God꞉ The Practice of the Presence of God

11. Overcoming Deism and the Absentee God

12. The Epistemology of Holiness

13. Little Things

14. Holiness Is Easy

15. Methods

16. Faith, Hope, and Love Are Only One Thing

17. Unselfconsciousness

18. “Love Is All You Need”

19. Love and Sex

20. When to Find God꞉ “The Sacrament of the Present Moment”

21. The Future

22. Peace

23. Failures

24. Suffering

25. Objection꞉ I Can’t Be a Saint

26. Duties

27. Activity and Receptivity

28. Spiritual Warfare

29. Grace

30. Detachment

31. Creation

32. God and You Only?

33. Praying while Working

34. Gratitude

35. “Progressive” or “Conservative”?

Appendix 1꞉ A Meditation on the Relationship between Being and God’s Will

Appendix 2꞉ A Dialogue between Stupid and Sensible (the Two Parts of My Soul)

Closing credits

<DIV>"Life, in the end, has only one tragedy: not to have been a saint." &ndash; L&eacute;on BloyThe ever-popular and prolific Peter Kreeft says that the most important question he has written about is how one becomes holy; or to put it another way, how one becomes a saint. This question is central to all the great religions, Kreeft demonstrates, for striving toward holiness, moving toward perfect love, is the whole purpose of life.Kreeft admits that he is only a beginner on the climb to holiness, and it is to novices like him that he has written this engaging and encouraging book. Using the insights and experiences of saints and great spiritual writers throughout history, Kreeft shows what holiness is and how it can be achieved. He especially draws upon the spiritual classic Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean-Pierre de Caussade, S.J. The core of Caussade's timeless gem is that God reveals himself to all of us through the daily events of our lives. The surest way toward spiritual growth, therefore, is by perceiving and accepting the merciful will of God in every situation.Kreeft stresses the simplicity of his approach to holiness, which focuses mainly on the virtue of love. Sanctity is love, he asserts, and only that can give us what we all long for&mdash;deep and lasting joy.</DIV>

How to Be Holy: First Steps in Becoming a Saint

Book 10 of Augustine’s Confessions is a notoriously dense book, and in this episode, Father Fessio, Vivian, and Joseph take the plunge. Join them in the deep waters of this great text as they unpack Augustine’s thoughts on memory, knowledge, and Aristotle’s Categories. Their discussion ends by reflecting on St. Augustine’s famous passage “Late have I loved thee, beauty so ancient and beauty so new.”
 

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The Confessions – Episode 6

<DIV> Von Balthasar speaks from the heart in an interview giving his views on some of the most controversial topics of the day: the Jews, the anti-Roman attitude, sexuality, liberation, theology and others. Known for his vast theological works and wide-ranging intellect, von Balthasar continues to show his ability to address critical issues facing today's Church in a clear, concise and readable manner. </DIV>

Test Everything; Hold Fast to What Is Good

<DIV>A Harvard graduate, Rhodes Scholar, and devout Catholic tells you everything you need to know about keeping your faith at a modern university. Drawing on her recent experience, Aurora Griffin shares forty practical tips relating to academics, community, prayer, and service that helped her stay Catholic in college.She reminds us that keeping the faith is a conscious decision, reinforced by commitment to daily practices. Aurora’s story illustrates that when you decide your faith matters to you, no one can take it away, even in the most secular environments and under strong peer pressure. Throughout the book, she shows how being Catholic in college did not prevent her from having a full “college experience,” but actually enabled her to make the most of her time at Harvard.Aurora encourages students who are about to begin this formative journey, or those now in college, that the most valuable parts of college life -- lasting friendships, intellectual growth, and cherished memories -- are experienced in a more meaningful way when lived in and through the Catholic faith.</DIV>

How I Stayed Catholic at Harvard: 40 Tips for Faithful College Students

<DIV>A Study of the History and Meaning of Personal Devotion to Jesus Christ for Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant ChristiansThe devotional life of Christians over the two millennia since Jesus' birth has been one of motion, changing and growing in response to the challenges presented to the Church, the temperaments of newly baptized nations, and controversies about how we can and should relate to God. And yet the core of authentic Christian devotion has not changed-it remains today, as it was in the time of the Church Fathers, the trusting and personal encounter with Christ that is both open and foundational to the life of all Christian believers. In this book the well-known spiritual writer and teacher Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C. F. R., surveys the development and trials of Christian devotion from the days of the martyrs until the twentieth century. Tracking it through the centuries and among "sadly divided branches of Christianity", he finds a commonality of experience and even of language that is constantly ignored among Christians themselves. By observing what "image of Christ" the canvas of common devotion portrays, he hopes we will move "not to discredit this image, but to sharpen it and make it more consistent with the New Testament and the ancient Church". Though the devotional life is sometimes brushed off as unimportant in comparison to a theological understanding of Christ, Groeschel warns that such dismissal threatens to make distant, unknown and obscure the Savior who said "I am with you always." The answer instead is to draw near to Jesus in devotion and with authentic expressions of that devotion, which themselves help paint the image of Christ found concretely in revelation onto the minds and daily life of the devout. Begun on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and the result of years of preparation and a whole life of guiding people as priest, public preacher, psychologist and spiritual director, this book will help Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant believers gain not only a comprehensive view of how pious Christians over the centuries have lived out their devotion to God, but the examples and perspective they need to live more devoutly today. </DIV>

I Am With You Always

<DIV>"We have reduced all virtues to one: being nice. And, we measure Jesus by our standard instead of measuring our standard by Him." For the Christian, explains author Peter Kreeft, being virtuous is not a means to the end of pleasure, comfort and happiness. Virtue, he reminds us, is a word that means "manly strength." But how do we know when we are being meek--or just cowardly? When is our anger righteous--and when is it a sin? What is the difference between being virtuous--and merely ethical? Back to Virtue clears up these and countless other questions that beset Christians today. Kreeft not only summarizes scriptural and theological wisdom on leading a holy life, he contrasts Christian virtue with other ethical systems. He applies traditional moral theology to present-day dilemmas such as abortion and nuclear armament. Kreeft restores to us what was once common knowledge: the Seven Deadly Sins have an antidote in the Beatitudes. By setting up a close contrast between the two sets of behaviors, Kreeft offers proven guidance in the often bewildering process of discerning right from wrong as we move into the questionable mores of the twenty-first century. He provides a road map of virtue, a map for our earthly pilgrimage synthesized from the accumulated wisdom of centuries of Christians, from Paul and the early Church Fathers through C.S. Lewis.</DIV>

Back to Virtue: Traditional Moral Wisdom for Modern Moral Confusion

Picking up with books 6 and 7 of Augustine’s Confessions, Father Fessio, Joseph Pearce, and Vivian Dudro discuss the various sources of St. Augustine’s conversion, including prayer, his friendships, St. Anselm, and his mother. They reflect on Augustine’s struggles, the workings of God’s grace, and the reality of “spiritual substances.”
 
SUBSCRIBE to our channel and never miss an episode of the Ignatius Press: Off the Shelf. You can also listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. Stay up-to-date with past, current, and future books we will discuss on our website: <a href='https://offtheshelf.ignatius.com/'>https://offtheshelf.ignatius.com/ </a>
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The Confessions – Episode 3